Day 517: Social quota

I am an introvert. Not in the commonly misunderstood sense - I am far too talkative and sociable for that. But in the clinical sense, wherein I need time alone each day to regain my center, as it were. I was good and social on Friday. Went to school. Had a long break, so I hung out with Adam (study buddy) and then there was study group after class. There was the big YSA Stake thing of hugeness, and I knew I was going to go. What I did not know was that there was going to be a dance. I reckoned there would be a bonfire to make the fireside a bona-fide fireside and then I'd go home, nuke something for myself, and do homework. As it turns out, it was also dinner and a dance. Which I had not expected. I didn't do homework - I started playing FFXII yesterday. Just wanted to see what it was all about. Not sure I like the battle system, but it was cool anyway. I'll play it more, I'm sure, in moderation. But I took myself out to Monika's place. Met the rest of her family, and her place is huge. Corn fields and a barn and everything. Very nice, though. I ended up talking to a non-member girl who is an Otaku, and none of us felt like dancing. We ate food on the grass next to the fire - and had to fend off the puppy from sticking his nose into our bowls of stew - and listened to the speaker. And then there was the dance. I honsetly had every intention of going home and doing homework, but there was going to be dancing. So I trekked out to the barn.

At first I wasn't very into it, just sorta lingering in the corner and doing the white-boy dance. But eventually I gave in and danced. Even line-danced a bit. Apparently I can line-dance. I'm not a pretty dancer, but I am a capable dancer and can learn steps quickly. I danced with Thomas once even, but not for the last dance, which made me kinda sad, but then he drove me back to the main house so I could find my car. I ended up having loads of fun, though. Monika and her sisers - Heidi and Rachel - are enthusiastic dancers, and that makes it fun. I danced with a couple of other guys, too, just to get them dancing. Even if some of the guys aren't guys I'd date, they're cool.

I didn't plan on going to the big breakfast thing this morning. I got up at around eight-thirty, though, to start my day and get things done before the big RS evening tonight. I showered and ate, and then set off to mail Mom her MP3 player (she left it here) and get Omi fixed. I mailed the MP3 player, but upon reaching the music store discovered that it didn't open till ten. I planned on hopping over to Borders and picking up a copy of "Wicked" to read till the store opened, but then a green van pulled up and Thomas and Rachel showed up. They had been at the Institute breakfast, and Rachel was in search of guitar strings, and so we ended up there together. Since the place wasn't open, we ended up going back to the Institute to meet up with Monika and Heidi and play some spoons till the music store opened. Monika ended up hanging out in the basement with me while my violin got fixed. My cake of rosin busted sometime in my absence, and so I bought a new one and headed home. Played my violin for half an hour. The entire time I couldn't find my hymnbook, so it turns out I can play five or so hymns from memory. Even worse than before. I really ought to take at least a few lessons to learn how to bow properly. But I ate lunch, did some homework/watched a movie, and then fell asleep.

I woke in time to answer some messages on facebook and then find my way to Sister Dallon's place for a very awesome taco salad dinner. It was great, hanging out with Brielyn and the gang. The youngest Dallon, Miss Elizabeth, introduced me to her birds (Sunshine and Kirby) and her very fluffy and much-shedding Dutch Bunny named Muffin. Dinner was a grand affair, with lots of dessert, and then we took off en masse for the general RS broadcast. It was cool. I sat with Brielyn.

And now I'm home. Briefing for Torts was surprisingly short, so I mooched around on Facebook for a bit, checked email, and then started typing up more of that novel. The murder mystery one. It's going through a vaguely decent editing process as I type, but I am hoping for reader feedback. I posted the first chapter on LJ, but have since decided I don't like that idea, so for interested parties I will send links to where I post this online. I reckon I won't be able to do nanowrimo this year, but if I type 50,000 words of this novel, I reckon that's a good thing, hm?

In honor of my fiction-writing hero...